Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark were named to the USA women’s team basketball training camp in mid-December. The two joined Lauren Betts, Cameron Brink, Veronica Burton, Sonia Citron, Kiki Iriafen, Rickea Jackson, Angel Reese and Juju Watkins as senior team debutants. Bueckers and Clark, hyped as rivals in college and the WNBA, ramped up fan interest by playing together for their country.
When asked to share her thoughts on Thursday about playing with Clark, the Dallas Wings point guard responded via the “Not Gonna Lie” podcast:
“It’s crazy ‘cause it’s like everybody’s pitting me and Caitlin, against each other for the longest time. We’re cool. We’re friends. … We understand how the media works, so they wanna pit two people against each other, and they’re supposed to hate each other. … Two fan bases that really hate each other have to come together for a couple of months.”
The rivalry that many have been trying to build up in the WNBA got off to a rough start due to Caitlin Clark’s injury-plagued season. Last season, Clark played only 13 games due to muscle injuries. The only time the Indiana Fever point guard played against Paige Bueckers in 2025 was on July 13.
The Fever won 102-83 behind Clark’s 14 points, 13 assists, five steals, three rebounds and one block. She committed a season-low two turnovers in the highly anticipated showdown.
Bueckers delivered a game-high 21 points with four rebounds, four assists and four turnovers. Dallas’ 14 errors, which led to 23 Indiana points, were the key reason for the Wings’ loss.
The WNBA is also trying to pit Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark to give the fans what they have wanted. In May, Clark’s Fever will host Bueckers’ Wings to open the 2026 season.
According to Bueckers, she and Clark know how the media works and how rivalries deliver ratings and attendance. Still, the former UConn star wanted everyone to know that there is no bad blood between her and the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer. Their respective fan base will have to cheer for both of them when they compete for Team USA.
Paige Bueckers opens up about “fun time” playing with Caitlin Clark
Before making their senior team debuts, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark already had Team USA basketball experience. The two were gold-medal winning teammates in the U17 FIBA Americas team in Argentina and the U19 2019 FIBA World Cup in Thailand.
Team USA swept the competition in Thailand behind a star-studded lineup. Bueckers and Clark joined a team that included Aliyah Boston, Cameron Brink, Rhyne Howard, Queen Egbo, Hailey Van Lith, Celeste Taylor and others.
Bueckers opened up about playing with Clark for Team USA:
“A lot of us, me and Caitlin even played together on the Junior Olympic level when we were younger. We were in high school, and it was always a fun time. … I still felt like we had one of the best U16 or U17 teams that ever existed.
Hyped as rivals, Paige Bueckers and Caitlin Clark are hoping to lead Team USA to the 2026 FIBA World Cup championship in Germany. Bueckers and Clark had fun as teammates in the past. They will likely enjoy playing together again for more basketball glory in international competition in the future.
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